A renaming for NDSS Community Field and Coal Tyee Elementary School are proposed to traditional Coast Salish terms. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

RECONCILIATION

‘It’s about walking together:’ new Coast Salish names proposed for NDSS Community Field & Coal Tyee elementary

Jun 2, 2022 | 10:40 AM

NANAIMO — It’s two small steps towards reconciliation which are poised to have a big impact.

Under a proposal from School District 68 staff, the current NDSS Community Field on Third St., would be renamed to the Coast Salish word q’unq’inuqwstuxw, while Coal Tyee elementary would also see a new name from the Snuneymuxw language.

Pronounced ki-KIN-ish-TOOK, q’unq’inuqwstuxw was a term commonly heard among Snuneymuxw First Nation athletes meaning to ‘pass it back’ or ‘return and represents the District’s goal of sharing and reconciliation.

“We believe that using q’unq’inuqwstuxw would not only honour the great legacy of Snuneymuxw athletes in the community, but also that concept of sharing or returning the land to it’s natural state,” Scott Saywell, SD68 superintendent, said during a Wednesday, June 1 board meeting.

The name change would also be partnered with City goals to restore more of an Indigenous feel to the area through the use of local plants during their proposed redevelopment.

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Saywell added the usual process would be to bring two names to the next phase, which involves public consultation, however it didn’t feel appropriate here.

“It seems to me a bit colonial that we would ask SFN to bring two names and then we would pick one of them, so we are bringing one name.”

NDSS Community Field on Third St. in Nanaimo is home to a multi-use turf field, located next to the Rotary Bowl athletic track and Serauxmen Stadium. (File Photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)

The name was chosen in consultation with the Snuneymuxw First Nation Elders Advisory and is approved by SFN’s Chief and Council.

Joan Brown, chief administrative officer for SFN, told the board this opportunity to rename two areas was embraced by the First Nation.

“It’s much deeper, and I’m sure we can all appreciate a name that is really about connectivity, it’s about healing, it’s about walking together, and from our perspective truly is going to enhance the recreational sports experience to a much deeper level.”

She added q’unq’inuqwstuxw is a sacred way of being for SFN which lives on in their ceremony and carries a profound teaching.

“It really means to give back. It’s easy to take but the deepest teaching is when you return something. For us the land has given us so much, we’re really humbling ourselves to the land to say, ‘we really want to return things to you you’ve given us,” and helping our young people really understand what that means.”

The proposal for the name change was unanimously supported by SD68’s Board of Trustees.

It’s estimated the name change will cost the School District a maximum of $4,000 to replace signage.

Trustee Jessica Stanley asked staff consider adding a phonetic pronunciation to any new signage to encourage people to engage with the word and not be left wondering what it means or how to properly say it.

Coal Tyee elementary school in central Nanaimo is poised to be renamed to a Snuneymuxw First Nation name meaning “our tradition” or “our history”. (File Photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)

Coal Tyee Elementary School
A second name change was also endorsed wholeheartedly during a special meeting on Wednesday night.

Charlene McKay said, during an emotional, prepared speech, the renaming of a school to the local First Nation language was a key step forward in reconciliation.

“The colonized story of Coal Tyee contains historical inaccuracies, much like the history that’s long been taught in Canadian schools about the true history of Canada,” McKay said. “The act of renaming this elementary school is our gift to Snuneymuxw First Nation, acknowledging reconciliation requires us to correct historical inaccuracies and wrongs.”

The proposed name is syuẁén’ct, pronounced sue-WINT-z. It means “our traditions” or “our history”.

McKay added any costs associated with the name change weren’t confirmed however they would be covered by the District.

“This name change is not about erasing history or the school community’s identity, it’s about reconciling the past, honouring the land and embracing the opportunity.”

In the wake of discoveries and confirmations at multiple former residential school sites over the last year, Brown spoke through tears acknowledging what this proposed change means.

“For us it’s really very hard to breathe because when we talk about our traditions, our history in an academic, public setting, it’s truly a late honour and ancestry knowledge system to promote healing for the original owners of the land, the ancestors to teach the children how to really walk together from a place of relational lens is unheard of.”

Public Consultation
Both proposals to rename NDSS Community Field and Coal Tyee Elementary school now proceed to a mandatory 30 day public consultation period to gather feedback on the names and the desired changes.

Barring any significant objections swaying staff and Trustee opinion of the proposals, a committee would help create a plan to implement the new names at each facility.

Join the conversation. Submit your letter to NanaimoNewsNOW and be included on The Water Cooler, our letters to the editor feature.

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